Your eCommerce business and consumers are directly linked to each other, which is why their data is your data. If they have been nice enough to share their personal details with you, then it is your moral duty to protect it as a responsible business.
Many eCommerce site owners live in the dilemma that there is not much one needs to do to protect their eCommerce store. Well, they might be living in their perfect world, but stats show how cybercriminals try to breach many eCommerce websites daily.
It is because hacking an eCommerce website will get them much confidential information that they can further use to do their dirty deeds. Some cybercriminals also sell them in the dark market and earn handsome money from that.
Recommended Read: How to Install Zoom on Linux Mint 20
Also Read: How to install Microsoft Edge on Linux
So, how do you protect your consumer data secured & from getting hacked?
Well, we have the answer.
Eight ways to keep your consumer data safe on your eCommerce website
- Get HTTPS and SSL security.
I cannot stress more on the benefits of Secure Socket Layer combined with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. Wildcard SSL certificate is one of the premium SSL certificates that help many eCommerce websites maintain their security.
Wildcard’s authentic certificate encrypts the data being transferred over the network between the server and the client. HTTPS, on the other hand, adds another layer of security by working in tandem with SSL.
Both these security protocols will keep hackers away from your website.
2. Choose an authentic eCommerce service provider.
Installing a Wildcard SSL certificate is good, but the job is not yet done. If you want your website to be secure at all times, you must reconsider your software-as-a-service provider.
Regardless of how good you think your SaaS software is, you must check how they treat potential threats that might hamper the performance. You must see whether they update their platform regularly for potential malware or not.
Since technology is getting better every day, hackers are also finding new ways to breach website security. So, keep an eye on your service provider.
3. Never forget to trademark your company.
Getting a Wildcard SSL certificate and keeping an eye on your SaaS service is an excellent start toward security but, have you trademarked your company yet? Trademarking has no direct connection with a hacker, but hackers can also create a clone of your website, fooling your potential customers and trapping them into their fake webs.
Your company’s trademark represents your authenticity. Many businesses stop their process after getting an LLC certificate, thinking that is enough. Their thoughts are quite farfetched as an LLC certificate is not enough. If you want to protect your brand name, get it trademarked.
4. Update your patches
Security patches help make your website stronger. Any unpatched application is like a low hanging fruit for hackers. All they have to do is figure your website out through automated crawlers and then hack it for their good.
Many eCommerce website owners make the mistake of thinking that updates will make their website slower but by ignoring that they are digging the grave for their business. You cannot blame your SaaS service provider if you are not careful enough at your end.
So, ensure that you never miss an update at your end.
5. PCI DSS is a necessity
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is mandatory for all eCommerce websites. PCI DSS compliance states that the website is conscious of consumer data security. Through this compliance, websites can keep their consumer data protected.
PCI DSS encrypts confidential card information and store it other than the website. It ensures that even if the website gets hacked, the consumer’s card information is still protected. PCI DSS is a necessity in modern-day eCommerce websites. Stripe and Braintree are two of the best PCI DSS.
So, get yourself one if you haven’t already bought it for your website.
6. Complicate your passwords
This tip looks a bit rogue because not many websites would suggest you do such a thing but, it is essential. The hackers won’t get any lenient on you when they apply brute force attacks by entering random passwords.
Simple passwords also mean easy to guess passwords that you can recall. But it is your business website and not some social media page. You cannot compromise on its security, which is why you must frequently change your site passwords.
Also, ask your employees to use both upper and lowercase letters and keep a mix of both numbers and letters.
7. Keep an eye on suspicious actions on your website.
Fraudsters need not always come as “Fraudsters.” They can come in the form of your customers too. Some fraudsters first sign up with you, buy a cheap product to establish authenticity and then, inject fraud codes to block your site’s actions.
As a business owner, one tends to look outside for fraud detection, but you need to keep an eye inside as well. If you see anything suspicious, immediately check the user’s data, order history, and places where he has visited your website.
It will help you prevent a breach big-time.
8. Inform your customers
You are making all sorts of efforts from your end, but if the customer himself is careless, you cannot prevent a breach from happening, nor will that liability be on you. But, educating them about the way a cybercrime happens might help them prevent it. Just like you keep your passwords protected, ask your customers to enter strong passwords as well.
In this way, you will fulfill your responsibility as a business and gain customer trust at the same time. So, do not forget to add a note of caution about fraud for your customers.
To Conclude
From getting a Wildcard SSL certificate to informing your customers, consumer data security has many factors to be taken care of. As a business, your customers are your business’s lifeline, and it is your moral duty to keep them satisfied at all costs.
By following these eight steps mentioned above, you can keep your consumer data secured forever.
